


Beware, It Goeth Before the Fall

by MonPetitParselmouth



Series: Endless Cycle of Vengeance [8]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, F/F, Gen, Governor Howe being creepy, I need a t-shirt that says #worlddomination tbh, actual battle in this one, or at least the tail end of one, the plot begins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-07
Updated: 2018-05-07
Packaged: 2019-05-03 07:23:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14563950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MonPetitParselmouth/pseuds/MonPetitParselmouth
Summary: A mere half an hour ago, Maria had been anxious about a crush, of all godforsaken things, and now her very life was dangling at her enemy’s fingertips.(Or, the one in which "romance" takes an unexpected turn, an interview is conducted, and a worrisome fight sequence takes place.





	Beware, It Goeth Before the Fall

**Author's Note:**

> Mmmmm. . . . *cackles*

Dolley hated Wednesdays. 

Everyone made such a fuss about Mondays. _Work starts_ this, _school’s back_ that, _morning sucks_ and _I miss the weekend_.  Big deal. Suck it up. 

Wednesdays, on the other hand, were another thing entirely. She was at the middle of the week, halfway done, but halfway away from the end of it. While the first few days of the week went by in a blur, Thursday and Friday crawled by at an agonizing pace. 

Basically, torture designed to look like optimism. 

The only aspect of the day that kept Dolley going was the thought of her afternoon meeting with Maria and Thomas, so it was expected that she felt something of a disappointment when the former was fifteen minutes late. 

“She hasn’t texted,” Thomas commented neutrally, glancing at his wristwatch. 

“Yes, well,” said Dolley, a touch annoyed, “I’m sure she’ll show up at some p—”

No sooner had the words left her mouth than the café door swing open and Maria slid inside, drenched from the currently pouring rain outside. 

“Cat, over here,” Thomas called in a low voice. Dolley threw a slightly concerned glance around the room, but not another person seemed to be listening in, seeing as only a grumpy-looking elderly lady dressed in a shocking yellow sweater and a group of gangly boys in maybe their twenties were currently in the coffee shop they’d chosen. Nobody seemed to find the nickname suspicious. 

It didn't take long for her to cotton on that something was different. Maria’s hands were clasped behind her back as she meandered over to them, and for the first time ever, Dolley noticed a vaguely worried look on her face. 

A slight feeling of unease settled in her body. This couldn’t bode well. 

Beside her, Thomas shifted, a wry, almost amused expression on her face. She glared at him and thought _SQUISHY POTATOES_ at him as hard as she could, then turned her attention back to Maria. He pressed a hand against his mouth to stifle his apparent laughter. 

Dolley noticed with another wave of confusion that Maria didn’t head over to get a drink, but walked right up to their table, her hands still behind her back.  

“I. Um. Made this,” said Maria quickly. She shoved something round and azure across the table at Dolley and hastily backed off. “For you. Or whatever.” 

And she got the hell out of the café. 

A little surprised, Dolley took the gift in her hands. Her fingers traced the edges of the bowl, pearly white with streaks of Pacific blue running down the sides and tiny clusters of diamonds painstakingly painted along the rim. 

“W—what the heck was that for?” she asked, frowning. 

“Well, _duh_ ,” replied Thomas, stirring his coffee and looking at her as if it were obvious. “She likes you.”

Dolley blinked owlishly. His words resonated in her mind, pulsing, taking their sweet time to settle down like the last ashes of a fire. 

And then all at once, their meaning sunk into her. 

_What?!?_

Thomas must have been snooping in her mind, that nosy busybody, because suddenly he began to laugh, as if watching her thoughts unfold was alarmingly funny. “Of _course_ she likes you, why did you think she's always staring at you like you’re some predator and she can’t damn well look away?” he said in response to her unspoken question. At her blank look, he groaned and thew up his hands in exasperation. “Oh my _God_ , you really didn’t know? What, did you think she gives everyone incredibly thoughtful presents for no good reason at all that probably took hours to make?”

 _Weeks_ of her internally agonizing, and Thomas hadn’t bothered to tell her a _thing_.

Biting her lip, Dolley felt but didn’t say, _I hate you._

He just laughed again, shaking his head. “Feeling’s mutual, love.”

 _Well_ , thought Dolley, fists clenching, as she glanced out the window to where she could just barely see dying sunlight glint off of Maria’s shining curls, _this could be a whole new level of complicated._

Thomas sobered up, nodding. “Yes,” he said gravely, following her gaze, “it could.”

Dolley’s hands found the sides of the bowl again, and despite herself, she found a smile curve the corners of her lips. 

 

»»——————¤——————««

 

 

_Chat: where we plan the destruction of nyc_

 

the marquis: what is the most, how you say, cliche thing you have ever said to your superhero counterpart?

 

Cataclysm: 1) u know exactly how to say it, laf 2) ‘you and i r more alike than u think’

 

arsonist: omg u’ve said that that’s hilarious 

 

arsonist: you and archangel are NOTHING alike tho

 

Cataclysm: i just said it to be cliche 

 

Wraith: I can relate. Once Theo said, “You’ll never get away with this” to me. I almost laughed, because I knew she was teasing me, but I, unlike the rest of you deranged hooligans, have a reputation, so I refrained. 

 

Cataclysm: “reputation” lol it’s cute how you think that 

 

the marquis: once the blue phoenix said something very cliche and i could not help but respond accordingly

 

arsonist: what did she say?

 

the marquis: ‘you’re going to regret this’. i told her ‘i don’t think so’

 

arsonist: why did i let u be a villain again?

 

Wraith: @Cataclysm Didn’t you say “We can do this the easy way or the hard way” to Archangel once?

 

Cataclysm: yes, and she replied by politely throwing a lightning bolt at my face

 

Cataclysm: and i was all like ‘hard way it is’

 

the marquis: @arsonist you have not shared yet, mon ami

 

arsonist: I have said a lot of cliche things honestly

 

arsonist: i mean there was that time when i quoted Darth Vader

 

Cataclysm: oh my god i remember that

 

the marquis: ????

 

Wraith:“You may dispense with the pleasantries, Commander. I’m here to put you back on schedule.”

 

Wraith: Or he might be referring to the infamous “prepare to meet your destiny” scene.

 

arsonist: WE DO NOT SPEAK OF THAT

 

Cataclysm: Thomas we love you dearly 

 

Wraith: We do?

 

Cataclysm: but are the star wars references really necessary? 

 

arsonist: star wars references are always necessary 

 

Wraith: @the marquis Didn’t you say “Your antics are quite amusing, ma cheri, but you’re still quite doomed” to the Blue Phoenix yesterday?

 

the marquis: i am neither confirming nor denying it ;)

 

Cataclysm: oh shush laf we were all there

 

arsonist: news flash, she actually ended up winning

 

Wraith: Of course, there is always that time when Thomas said something along the lines of ‘I’m going to [insert villainous action here] and there’s nothing you can do to stop me’

 

arsonist: I think we’ve all said that at some point tho

 

Cataclysm: true lol we’re so cliche and stereotypical

 

Cataclysm: i mean

 

Cataclysm: thomas has been through so much tragic stuff that he takes it out on the city

 

Cataclysm: classic plot

 

Cataclysm: aaron has just been in love with his archenemy forever like in those trashy romance movies

 

the marquis: what about me?

 

arsonist: you’re like the french equivalent of Anakin skywalker

 

arsonist: and maria just wants to rule the universe

 

Cataclysm: stop e x p o s i n g me

 

the marquis: #worlddomination

 

Cataclysm: oh shut up

 

Wraith: Well, we WOULD be cliche and stereotypical, if any one of us were both cis and straight. 

 

arsonist: know something depressing? You’re absolutely right.

 

»»——————¤——————««

 

“So, Governor.” Thomas Conway grinned nervously as he hurriedly skimmed the list of questions he and his coworkers had been assigned with. “Question. . . . mmm, nine. You were an attorney for—” he glanced at his paper— “eighteen years before you became governor. How do you think this will influence your choices in the coming years?”

Governor Howe, impeccably dressed and perfectly impassive as always, tipped his head to one side as if considering the question. “Well, the knowledge I have gained from my career will drive which path I’ll take when faced with choices. As an lawyer, I always had to approach a situation like one, and the way I analyze and critically think is a whole different perspective. Ultimately, that could lead New York into a much more flexible, intellectual environment.”

Conway nodded vigorously. “Okay. Question ten. Since you took office, do you think the major impacts you have made on the state government so far will have a long-term effect?”

“I most certainly do.” He smiled thinly, which was just creepy as far as Conway was concerned, but he kept up his best friendly-reporter expression as Howe went on. “The taxing system has been considerably affected by new policies, and of course everybody knows about the movement to quell the terrorism occurring in New York City as of late, and keep it from spreading across the country.”

Flipping the page, carefully impassive, Conway plowed on. “If you could give the citizens of New York one message, what would it be?”

“I would say,” said Howe slowly, his almost reptilian eyes flickering rapidly from side to side, “that _we_ are our country. _We_ are the future that our state, that our nation will hold. _We_ are the ones who will shape this safe haven for us, for our children, and for _their_ children.”

Conway nodded, his mind going a mile a minute. 

“ _We_ ,” finished Howe impressively, his gaze trained carefully on the camera, “will be America’s tomorrow, and _we_ will be the ones to get us there, no matter what it takes.”

Silence. 

It took Conway a moment to register that this was the first straight answer Howe had given him the entire interview. 

 

»»——————¤——————««

 

Although Adrienne had been in a whole lot of pretty bizarre situations, this one ranked at the top of the list. 

Lafayette’s hazel eyes were staring pleasantly at her through his mask. Next to her, her friend Lisa was blinking at the two of them, completely and utterly flabbergasted. Lisa scooted away on the booth with a terrified expression, leaving Adrienne to deal with this mess by herself. 

Fairly certain that the few people who were actually alert enough to be in a café at five in the morning were all (justifiably) gawking at her, Adrienne sighed internally. She raised a questioning eyebrow at Laf—well, the Marquis, technically. 

“Hello,” he said, a trifle unnecessarily. Lisa gave her a dubious look and moved a little farther away again. 

“Hello again, Marquis,” Adrienne greeted through gritted teeth. 

 _You know him?_ Lisa mouthed at her. She didn’t bother responding, since she had a bit of a situation on her hands. 

The Marquis leaned against the circular table she and Lisa were sitting at, either unconscious of her annoyance or just disregarding it. The latter was more probable, in all honesty. “So,” he said, most likely out of a lack of anything else to say, “what’s up?” His French accent was slightly more pronounced than usual, which meant either he was emotional or nervous for some reason. Which, wow, lovely. She really needed a nervous supervillain boyfriend right now. 

Adrienne kept her eyes on her latte, which her hands were starting to grow numb from clutching. “Unless the earth has experienced a drastic atmospherical change since the last time I checked, the sky,” she said dryly.

“You are such a smart-aleck.” He dropped into the booth on the side that wasn’t occupied by Lisa, leering at them both. Said friend made a small, strangled noise of fear that neither Adrienne nor the Marquis acknowledged. 

Adrienne snorted, unfazed. “So I’ve been told.”

The Marquis hummed quietly, but didn’t otherwise respond. He rested a red-gloved hand on the table. Adrienne’s own hand twitched closer to it, her face heating up.

_Don’t. Touch. Him._

“Are we still on at six today?” he asked out of the blue. 

She resisted rolling her eyes with immense difficulty. “Of course, you absolute _imbécile_ , or I would not have said yes in the first place.”

He appeared to ponder this for a moment before settling for a brusque nod. “That is fair. But I should go.”

“Oh, how very calamitous. I cannot contend sitting in this chair without you perpetually exacerbating me.”

“For someone whose first language is not English, you use an awful lot of grandiloquent words,” the Marquis remarked in amusement. His fingers curled around Adrienne’s in a possessive gesture, and she could feel icy coldness seeping through the glove. 

Oh damn, she needed a witty comeback, didn’t she?

“Says the person saying ‘grandiloquent’,” Adrienne shot at him. She doubted he would even know the word existed if not for this Alexander Hamilton he was always talking about. 

“That is also fair,” he admitted. He unentangled their hands and slid out of the booth, shooting Adrienne a wink. “See you around, _ma chéri_.”

And with that, the Marquis strode out of the café, door thudding shut behind him. The temperature in the room lifted several degrees at his exit; Adrienne hadn’t even realized she was shivering until the sensation ceased. 

The rest of the customers continued gaping at Adrienne’s table, dumbstruck, causing her to shift in irritation. Slowly, the room regained its air of casualness, with the low drone of conversation steadily rising, although a handful of eyes were still pinned to Adrienne. 

The barista who’d given her her drink—John, according to his name tag, shot her a pitying look. He looked a lot less fazed than the others, although that wasn’t really saying much. 

Lisa shot Adrienne a look _,_ a glint in her eye whose message amounted essentially to _what the actual hell. “_ Should I even ask?” she said. 

“No,” replied Adrienne succinctly, taking a sip of her now-cold latte. “Just don’t.”

 

»»——————¤——————««

 

A mere half an hour ago, Maria had been anxious about a crush, of all godforsaken things, and now her very life was dangling at her enemy’s fingertips. 

All right, perhaps that was a rather dramatical way of putting it, especially as she had never born Lady Liberty any ill will, despite their strained hero/villain relationship. In fact, they’d never actually had a real conversation, unlike her and her actual nemesis, Archangel, that she-devil. 

That she-devil who she’d _kissed_ , all those weeks ago, and now they were an odd mixture of tentative and desperate around each other, despite Dolley being thrown into the picture. 

No, there was no time to think about that.

 _Crash_. 

_Shhhhhh-RRRRM._

The ground shook yet again, and Maria gritted her teeth before crouching and leaping across the street, praying that the her power’s influence on the winds around her was sufficient enough to keep her airborne until she reached the top of the building on the other side. 

“Cataclysm! Show yourself!” Lady Liberty thundered from behind her, and Maria allowed herself one particularly colorful swearword as her feet slammed into screeching metal. A few wayward sparks glimmered around her boots. Relief surged through her veins as she managed to secure a wild handhold on the sharp corner of the building.

And then she slipped.

  Her heart tried to climb up into her throat, but she swallowed it. Maria’s hands scrabbled uselessly against smooth planks and strategically placed nails and bolts, but in a few seconds, she was in free fall, and her fingernails scraped against aggravatingly sleek window glass. Panic threatened to cloud her senses. 

A whirl of rich brown and furious, furious crimson spiraled through her mind. 

_Dolley. Stay alive for Dolley stay alive for Dolley stay alive for Dolley stay alive for Dolley._

With the last ounce of her strength, Maria reached out with her mind and yanked as hard as she could. 

She felt the shards of bloody, shattered glass swirl around her body, responding actively to her call, and swoop underneath her, tearing up her skin and scratching in what must have been several hundred places, but she could feel her descent slowing, the inevitable crash to the ground decelerating and the whipping wind dwindling to a faint wailing howl in her ears.  

Sound muted, her vision blurred, and with the jolt of an only slightly lessened impact, she slammed into the hard concrete ground. 

  Stumbling forward, Maria gasped and felt her limbs melt into a jumbled mess, staggering onto her knees. The pain was awful, stabbing and searing through her body mercilessly with terrible intensity. _Everywhere_ was burning, shrieking, from her stomach to the tips of her fingers.

 _Okay,_ she thought dizzily, _I can get through this._ Gritting her teeth, she tried to stand, only to have needles lance through her joints and cause her to buckle down again. Annoyance flared in her. How was she supposed to get home if she couldn’t even _move_?

Reminding herself again to keep a hold on herself, Maria thought rapidly, _So I’m all banged up on around my. . . shoulder? Collarbones? Doesn’t matter._

She spared the beautiful new array of bruises, purple-yellow-blue-black, scattered across her torso a quick look before moving on, wincing at the throbbing pain. _My arm might be broken. Or dislocated._ It was getting harder and harder to think through the spiking jolts that kept reverberating around her brain. _My ankle feels sprained, probably, so I can’t walk. I can’t communicate with anyone. Maybe I can. . ._

Her train of thought was wiped into oblivion, though, at the voice that cut sharply into the night, shattering her semi-calm state into full-out panic. 

“Having trouble, Cataclysm?”

She knew that voice. 

_Archangel._

**Author's Note:**

> CLIFFHANGER XD


End file.
